Discussion Questions

Samantha described God in her Catholic upbringing as “very distant” and as someone who “did things for me if I did the right things”; what picture of God does that create in a person, and how does it compare to the God Samantha later describes as “good and faithful” who “will shepherd us very wisely and lovingly”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If you grow up thinking God is distant and only helps when you do the right things, what kind of view of God does that create? How is that different from Samantha’s later view of God as “good and faithful” who guides us with love?

When Samantha said that Mass felt “empty” because “it was never explained… why we did things or what it all meant,” what does her experience suggest God wants from worshipers—mere participation, understanding, relationship, obedience, or something else? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If Mass felt empty because no one explained what it meant, what does that suggest God wants from worship—just showing up, understanding, a real relationship, obedience, or something else?

Samantha said, “God just kind of threw all of our plans into a mess” when her ballet trajectory was interrupted; how should Christians discern the difference between God’s wise shepherding and a random loss or disappointment, and what does her framing reveal about God’s involvement in ordinary life plans? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When plans fall apart, how can Christians tell the difference between God guiding them and just bad luck or disappointment? What does Samantha’s way of saying it show about how she thinks God is involved in everyday plans?

At the youth retreat Samantha “encountered Christ,” but refused immediate believers’ baptism because she was wary of “emotionalism and sensationalism”; what does her hesitation teach about faith, assurance, and the role of emotions in conversion—and where might modern evangelical expectations pressure people into premature public commitments? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Samantha met Christ at a retreat but didn’t want to get baptized right away because she feared it was just emotions. What does that teach about faith, being sure you believe, and the place of emotions—and how might churches push people to commit too fast?

Samantha’s family experimented with “the covering” and “the skirts” before even finding a local Anabaptist congregation; what assumptions about obedience and practice does that reveal, and how might early Christians have viewed learning Jesus through embodied habits rather than mainly through private belief? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Samantha’s family started wearing “coverings” and “skirts” before joining an Anabaptist church. What does that show about how they thought obedience and daily practices shape faith?

Samantha said switching from pants to skirts “really gives you a whole new identity in society… People treat you differently”; what does this expose about the cost of being visibly set apart, and what modern Christian practices avoid that kind of public “new identity” even when we claim to follow Jesus? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Samantha said wearing skirts gave her a new public identity because people treated her differently. What does that show about the cost of standing out, and what Christian practices today let us blend in even while we say we follow Jesus?

Samantha struggled most over giving up her “favorite pair of Hunter’s Camo Cargo Pants”; what does that small, concrete example reveal about how attached we become to symbols of self, comfort, or belonging—and how might Jesus’ commands confront these “minor” loyalties? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Why was it so hard for Samantha to give up her favorite camo cargo pants, and what does that show about how we cling to small things that shape our identity or comfort? How might Jesus’ commands challenge these “little” attachments?

Samantha was drawn to Anabaptists because they were “very sincere about following Jesus… his words and his commands”; what specific teachings of Jesus do you think she has in mind, and how does her critique (“you worship on Sunday and nothing changed the rest of the week”) challenge common ideas that grace means minimal expectation of obedience? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Samantha says Anabaptists take Jesus’ words and commands seriously, what teachings of Jesus do you think she means? How does her comment about “Sunday worship but no change the rest of the week” challenge the idea that grace means we don’t have to obey much?

Samantha contrasted American church culture as “top of the dog pile… get my family where I need to go” with Anabaptist community that says, “I’m there for you,” even offering beds to strangers; what does this imply God intends the church to be, and what would have to change in our schedules, privacy, and budgets to live that kind of mutual aid? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Samantha says American church life can be selfish, while Anabaptist community says, “I’m there for you,” even giving beds to strangers. What does that suggest God wants the church to be, and what would we need to change in our time, privacy, and money to live that way?

Samantha called her testimony “really just God’s story” and quoted, “The half has never been told”; how does that perspective challenge the way Christians often tell testimonies as personal success narratives, and what would it look like for your group to recount God’s faithfulness in a way that highlights his wise shepherding rather than your own decisions? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If your testimony is mainly “God’s story,” how does that challenge telling testimonies like personal success stories? What would it look like for your group to share stories that focus more on God’s faithful guidance than on your own choices?